- As part of her speech bringing the meeting to a closer, the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, encouraged harnessing the talent of the one million unemployed people aged over 50 who want to "continue carving out their lives and contributing all their experience"
- The institutional event was also attended by the Chairman of Endesa and its Foundation, Juan Sánchez-Calero, and the CEO of Endesa and Deputy Chairman of its Foundation, José Bogas
- Furthermore, a proposal containing legislative measures was presented, including an Organic Law on Generational Equality.
Generación SAVIA, a project jointly organised by the Endesa Foundation and the Máshumano Foundation, today held the third edition of its annual meeting under the slogan "Promoting senior talent". The event, held at Endesa's headquarters, featured an institutional event, a networking space offering advice to more than 200 senior professionals and around 400 people who streamed the event. Furthermore, a proposal of legislative measures was presented to promote senior workers and the Generación SAVIA "Careers that don't stop" awards were handed out to figures who break down age-related stereotypes and prejudices.
In attendance at the institutional event, held in the auditorium at Endesa's headquarters, were the Chairman of Endesa and its Foundation, Juan Sánchez-Calero, who emphasised the "significant boost and solutions promoted by SAVIA in response to the challenges facing our seniors in terms of their employability". In this sense, he asserted that "progress in society requires all the available talent and the core objective of this project at the hands of the Endesa Foundation is to increase the opportunities this group receives, offering them tools and spaces for collaboration".
In turn, José Bogas, the CEO of Endesa and Deputy Chairman of its Foundation, stressed that "programs like Savia force us to confront the fact that a change in mind and culture is urgent, important and necessary. We just have to look around to find clear examples of professionals who, from the age of 50 and beyond, have reinvented themselves, adapting to new and complex scenarios or who have steered major transformation processes at companies or in politics".
The meeting was concluded by the President of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, who encouraged harnessing the talent of the one million unemployed people aged over 50 who "want to continue carving out their lives and contributing all their experience". In her opinion, civil society has managed to "set up a meeting place between those who want to grow and do things better and those who want to contribute all their talent and experience to achieving it."
At its annual meeting, Generación SAVIA, which has been promoting the employability of senior talent for almost four years now, presented the document entitled "Proposal of legislative measures for the promotion of senior talent", prepared by a working group consisting of Sagardoy Abogados, Hogan Lovells, Herbert Smith Freehills Foundation, the Fernando Pombo Foundation, PWC, Endesa Foundation and máshumano Foundation. The text describes a series of initiatives aimed at Public Administrations to achieve effective equality between generations and combat age-related discrimination, in addition to measures that promote the education of senior professionals. These include the approval of an Organic Law on Generational Equality that regulates issues such as equal treatment and opportunities, in addition to improvements in regulatory coverage, aid and subsidies or changes to collective bargaining agreements.
Specifically, the president of the Community of Madrid demonstrated her support for the proposal to eliminate the age limit of 25 to access training contracts. "We will always be in favour of reducing bureaucratic obstacles and regulations that exclude the most vulnerable groups," asserted Isabel Díaz Ayuso.
The document of measures was subject to analysis as part of a debate moderated by journalist Gloria Lomana, at which Íñigo Sagardoy, the Chairman of Sagardoy Abogados and the máshumano Foundation; Leopoldo González Echenique, partner at Herbert Smith Freehills; Borja Montesino-Espartero, partner responsible for People & Organisation at PWC Spain; Jesús García, senior associate in the employment division at Hogan Lovells Madrid; and Ana Higuera, lawyer and director of Pro-Bono work at the Fernando Pombo Foundation, were all in attendance.
In turn, the Chairman of Sagardoy Abogados and the máshumano Foundation, Íñigo Sagardoy, explained that during this long period "we have seen how the expulsion and early exclusion of senior professionals, based on a false perception of age, poses a social and business risk and ignores the enormous value that this demographic has to offer".
Following an inspiring speech in which Dr. Mario Alonso Puig invited attendees to discover their greatness, the Chairman of Endesa and its Foundation, Juan Sánchez-Calero, handed out the "Careers that don't stop" awards. These awarded were handed to the athlete Martín Fiz in the sporting category; to the director of the Paediatric Haematology and Oncology Unit at HM Hospitales, Blanca López-Ibor for her "Professional Career"; to the founders of the Sushita Group, Sandra Segimón, Natacha Apolinario and José Manuel Segimón for their "Entrepreneurial Work"; and the journalist and editor-in-chief of the Expansión newspaper, Tino Fernández for his contribution to the visibility of seniors. These awards aim to highlight the professional careers of those who remain active after 50 and who, by example, break down age-related stereotypes and prejudices.
On the sidelines of the institutional event, a networking space was set up in the lobby of Endesa's headquarters. More than 200 senior professionals received advice
about new professions paths and job opportunities with Generación SAVIA's collaborating companies. Randstad Outplacement, Lukkap and Grupo Persona worked on the personal brand of attendees, with a view to building high-impact presentations for job interviews. Michael Page, Manpower and Ticjob explored the new positions and sources of employment available today. The +50 Emprende Awards, ePunto and Connecting Visions reflected on entrepreneurship, as well as other forms of collaboration with the job market, such as consultancy and Interim Management.
About Generation SAVIA
Generación SAVIA, the Endesa Foundation and Máshumano Foundation project, has been promoting the employability of workers over the age of 50 for almost four years, providing solutions through courses, training and networking actions, and promoting recognition of the value of these professionals, who have a high rate of unemployment. SAVIA is a platform and community in which collaborative spaces are created and initiatives come together to create job opportunities for senior professionals. It also offers human resources solutions to the Spanish social and business fabric. 35,000 senior professionals and 500 companies are registered with SAVIA. 180 entities also collaborate on the project.